Each award has different academic criteria for eligibility and provides a different award amount and/or number of semester hours. The Florida Academic Scholar with the highest academic ranking in each county will also receive the Academic Top Scholars Award.

Repayment

Students will be required to repay their award hours for any course dropped or withdrawn, unless an exception is recommended by the student’s home postsecondary institution, and the student does not receive a refund of fees which would repay the amount due. An exception will be granted only for a verifiable illness or emergency beyond the control of the student.

Repayment for the cost of dropped or withdrawn courses is required to renew a Bright Futures award for the subsequent academic year. Hours repaid for dropped or withdrawn courses are added back to the student’s total semester hours available, and are not included in the student’s total credit hours required to renew the award. Nonpayment of dropped or withdrawn Bright Futures award hours may also affect renewal eligibility for other state programs.

Renewal Requirements

All Bright Futures recipients are required to meet minimum credit hour and GPA requirements to renew their award each year. Students enrolled full time for both semesters are required to earn at least 24 semester hours in order to renew their award at the end of each academic year. For students not enrolled full time for both semesters, the hours required to renew are prorated.

After all documentation has been received, your Florida Bright Futures Scholarship will be awarded and disbursed via direct deposit. If you have any questions, please contact our office at http://www.sfa.ufl.edu/helpwww.sfa.ufl.edu/help or by phone at (352) 392-1275.

Innovation Academy & Bright Futures

Returning Innovation Academy students will be eligible to receive their Bright Futures awards in the fall semester. Florida Academic level recipients will receive 100% of tuition and applicable fees, plus a $300 educational expense stipend. Florida Medallion level recipients will receive 75% of tuition and applicable fees, but will not receive the $300 educational expense stipend.

Incoming Innovation Academy students are not degree-seeking until their first spring semester and are therefore ineligible to receive Bright Futures in the fall semester prior to their first spring. For example, an incoming 2018-19 IA student is not degree-seeking until spring 2019 and would not be eligible to receive Bright Futures in the fall 2018 semester. The first fall semester they would be eligible for Bright Futures would be fall 2019, assuming no changes in legislation.

Graduate Funding

Bright Futures Scholarship recipients who graduate with a baccalaureate degree in the 2010-11 academic year or thereafter may be funded for one semester of graduate study, not to exceed 15 semester hours paid at the undergraduate rate if they meet the following requirements: